Western countries have announced a threat to GPS because of Russia and began to …

Kyiv’s demands to block Russia’s GLONASS navigation system in Ukraine have not been granted by its Western partners.

However, raising such a question and what is happening on Ukrainian territory is pushing the West to look for alternatives to the global GPS positioning system, writes the British newspaper “Times”.

The publication notes that the UK and the US are looking for analogues or substitutes for GPS that do not rely on satellites. London and Washington fear that in future wars it will be possible to silence signals without firing. At the same time, analysts and experts warn that the threat of satellite interference will only increase.

UK Defense Secretary Jeremy Quinn said the government “should be vigilant” about the threat of satellite interference. According to him, this is due to the fact that Russia is using a special operation in Ukraine to test its electronic anti-jamming equipment for GPS jamming.

“Both sides are developing a range of opportunities. We need to learn from this and continue our own innovative work in this area, “Quinn said.

The UK is exploring alternative navigation systems, including its WebWeb (an interconnected satellite system designed to provide broadband internet via mobile satellite technology) and the US NextNav (its own network of GPS-like transmitters but mounted on the ground and not on satellites), which is being negotiated with the British Government for deployment.

“We are currently considering a number of options, including non-space alternatives, to improve the country’s security and will update our next steps at a later date,” Quinn added.

At the same time, NextNav says that their signals are 100,000 times stronger than those of GPS, so they are harder to jam and more effective in urban environments.

“We are working with the US government and trying to create a backup system, an alternative to GPS, which is under threat from Russia and others,” NextNav chief Ganesh Patabiraman said after speaking with British officials from various ministries.

At the same time, Patabiraman explained why the West did not comply with Kyiv’s request. The thing is that if GLONASS is turned off, then Moscow can take down the GPS satellites.

In addition, there may be disruptions in energy networks, ATMs shut down, the banking system disrupted, mobile phones shut down and every effort made to ensure that precision-guided Western missiles never reach their targets. .

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